2:3 Variant

The flag of Canada, when forced to 2:3 ratio, looses the
distinct balance of the "Canadian pale", which is a (white) square between
two (red) half squares.

In 2:3 ratio, the side panels get squeezed proportionally, leaving a much
narrower central area, where the maple leaf (equilateral in its normative
depiction) must be reduced in order to not overlap the lateral panels and
in the process a lot of extra white space is visible on the flag.António Martins-Tuválkin, 26 July 2007

There is a local hotel, not that far from where I live, and pass it every day on
the way to work, that has at least 8 of these flying on the roof of the hotel
(one at each corner, and 1 or 2 spaced out between the corner ones on the edge
of the roof). However, it's even more visually jarring, not only is it 2:3, but
it isn't even in Canadian pale, the bars are equal width! I guess a Peruvian civil
flag with a maple leaf in the middle. Of course, no one notices, or cares.David Kendall, 27 July 2007

I've seen recently Canadian flags with two thin blue stripes between each red
stripe and the white center.
I saw this flag in Montreal twice at pro-unity manifestations and a third time
as a bumper sticker.
Anybody know what it this flag is?Luc V. Baronian, 27 January 1997

Possibly a reconciliation flag to incorporate the colours (blue and white)
of Quebec with those of Canada (red and white).Chris Pinette

It could be Chris, a lot of people I've asked came up with that same hypothesis.
I thought it might also be a country wide French-Canadian flag. Or, a political
movement. Or, (I don't know why) I think it looks like a navy flag...

I really think it has something to do with Canadian unity, because of the places
I've seen it :

The night of the referendum on Independence in the "NO" room;

The Canadian love-in in Montreal (to convince Quebecers to stay in Canada),

and also in Ottawa or Hull in last year's celebration of the Flag Day (the
first one ever).

Luc Baronian, 29 January 1997

I just was searching Yahoo! Canada looking for new flag links when I came across
the Canadian flag with blue fimbriation at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/trcf/
[ed: currently www.trcf.ca"].
It says:
TRCF for Canadian Unity
Unity Flag recognizing Canada's duality: French and English-speaking people together.
French Canada and English Canada.
Approx. 25% of the border is coloured blue representing the Francophones in Canada.
This Unity Flag may one day become Canada's officially renewed Canadian Flag symbolizing
"unity and harmony" on our national emblem.Mark Sensen - 29 May 1997

The TRCF website says:

TRCF for Canadian UnityPour l'Uniti Canadienne

Unity Flag recognizing Canada's duality: French and English-speaking
people together. French Canada and English Canada.

Vertical Representation?

During the Canada Day festivities in Calgary, along with what seemed like the
rest of the population of Western Canada, were downtown watching the fireworks
and bands, and I noticed an interesting flag-related banner hanging from the
lampposts. Hanging vertically (that is, taller than it is wide) was a banner
that resembled the Canadian flag (thin red bar on top and bottom with a highly
stylized red maple leaf in middle - looks like what a 10-year-old or so child
might draw the maple leaf), but, interestingly, next to the (thinner than
"normal") red bars is a thin blue bar (much like the "unity flag"! I am completely puzzled
as to why this design was chosen! (From what I understand of this city, the
Francophone population of Calgary is very minimal).David Kendall, 2 July 2007

Unilisé

image by Hank Gigandet, 1 October 2016

The Unilisé is a stylized fleur-de-lis banner which symbolizes Quebec's
historical ties in Canada. It is based on the international symbol of la francophonie
which is the 'lis' (also 'lys', ref: lilly), as used in the Quebec flag, and
the banner's design models that of the Unifolié (Maple Leaf Flag) which features
one large maple leaf. It came about after the severe division caused by the
Quebec separatist movement. At the height of the tension in the referendums
of 1980 and 1995, Quebec's Fleur-de-lis flag was more or less hijacked by
the separatist movement as their own. Pure wool Quebecers, of Canadian allegiance,
would no longer fly the Fleur-de-lis flag because they would have been perceived
as separatists, while others completely disowned it. Furthermore, the Quebec
flag would never be flown by federalists without flying the Canadian flag
along side it, to show their allegiance, two flags were always needed.

As a result of this, the unique and distinct Unilisé banner was created,
in 1996, to symbolize our proud 'souches Québécoise/Canadienne' (roots) in
Canada, the country created by our ancestors. It symbolizes and characterizes
the following mottos:

Un Québec fort dans un Canada uni

A strong Quebec in a united Canada....(Claude
Ryan, Robert Bourassa)

Le Québec ma patrie, le Canada mon pays

....Quebec my homeland, Canada my country....(Jean
Leasge)

Mon Québec inclut le Canada

My Quebec includes Canada

and borrowing from Quebec's own motto by Eugène-Étienne Taché, but with
a slight twist: "Je me souviens, que né sous le lis, j'ai fleuri sous la rose"....I
remember, that born under the 'lis' (French), I flourished under the rose
(English)

(Notice the passé composé j'ai fleuri from the official je fleuris
to symbolize the repatriation of the constitution in 1982 and the severing
of parliamentry ties with Britain).

The Unilisé was circulated among Quebec federalist groups in 1996, but
has never been promoted otherwise. It was flown in Montreal in the big rally
of Dec. 2000 where over 70,000 people, both French and English-speaking, protested
against the anti-democratic, forced mergers of cities that was conducted by
the governing separatist party.

The Unilisé banner also flew along side the Canadian Duality Flag on the
Bank Street bridge over the Rideau Canal, in July 2001, for Les Jeux de
la francophonie in Ottawa/Hull. The bridge is located at the entrance
of Lansdowne Park Stadium where the opening ceremonies were held and where
the flags were seen by close to 20,000 people. When passersby questioned the
meaning of the flags, 'blue in the Canadian flag and red in the stylized Quebec
banner', the answer "mettre de l'eau dans son vin" (turn the rhetoric down
a notch) was well liked, especially by Francophones.

The Unilisé's colours are Quebec royal blue and Canada red.Hank Gigandet, 8 November 2005

Hell's Angels

After a recent biker battle in Quebec, there was a TV report on the bikers,
including the Hell's Angels. There, clearly blowing in the breeze, was fully
extended Hell's Angels' flag - I wonder if it is an international flag,
or a Canadian version. It was similar in design to the Canadian flag - 1:2,
but with the red-white-red showing a bit more white that usual, maybe 1-3-1
instead of 1-2-1. The reason for this is that the maple leaf was replaced
by a large brown winged skull, the emblem of the Hell's Angels. Is this
flag known around, or is it a local phenomenon?Rob Raeside, 31 October 1997

A blue/white Canadian flag

image by Antonio Martins, 19 June 2016

I once saw a blue and white Canadian flag. It was the same as the current
maple leaf, but was colored blue and white instead of red and white. This
was in July, 1970, in Dwight Ontario. When I asked a local person why
this flag was blue he said that it had been a rejected design trial for
the 1965 flag. He also said it was a French-Canadian design. He was English-Canadian
and got very upset about it. He said that this irritating French-Canadian
person shouldn't be flying it. He was going to take it up with the town
council that night. I never saw the flag again. I assumed that the design
was French-Canadian preferred because of the blue color instead of red
for the English.Kevin McNamara, 19 October 1998

A rendition of the flag shown by Eric Radford and Meagan Duhamel after they won
the skating championship. An image of the duo is
archived here.Art,
4 August 2015

Kanadian Broadkasting Korporation

image by Antonio Martins, 14 October 2005

A blue and white Canadian pale with a modified "Burning
Man" festival logo for emblem, its usual diamond shaped head replaced
with a Canadian maple leaf. The photos I have (sent or pointed to in
this list a couple of years ago) show this flag, neatly manufactored
at some 1×2 m, hoisted from a van or truck in (supposedly) the Black
Rock desert (US-NV). Filename identifies this as the flag of Kanadian
Broadkasting Korporation.

It is said that this was one of the approximately 40 FM radio stations
present at the 2001 "Burning Man" festival.António Martins-Tuválkin, 14 October 2005

National Day of Mourning flag

image contributed by Garry Borgacci, 11 October 2007

The new National Day of Mourning flag was created by the
Canadian Auto Workers.

Republic of Western Canada

In the early part of the page, there is what looks like a flag,
top half blue with four white stars, bottom half red and white stripes
with some of them making a "mountain" on the hoist side. But down
at the bottom, or on the page about the book, the cover shows a flag
which is the USA flag with a large white maple leaf in the canton.
I wonder which is thought to be the actual flag of the "republic"
and if it is the one on the book, why have 13 stripes if they are
only including the 7 western areas.?Michael P. Smuda, 4 January 2006

The image at the bottom of the page is part of an ad for a book
called "The Republic of Canada", advocating that Canada, in its entirety,
become a republic, a different proposal than what is advocated in
the main body of the "Republic of Western Canada" webpage. So there
are two distinct flag designs for two distinct political proposals.Ned Smith, 4 January 2005

More precisely, an independent Western Canada modeled after the
US political model (hence the two designs, although I think the book
one wasn't meant to be the flag of an independent Western Canada,
but merely an illustration for the cover to state their point with
a graphic (and what better way than with a flag?). A striking flag
example (on the website, not necessarily the book cover), if I do
say, but as a Westerner I wouldn't support their model. Not that I'm
against (or for) Western independence, just their stripe of it. I
also don't think I'm alone, so those out there don't have to worry
that the West will separate any time soon.David Kendall, 5 January 2006

Marijuana Leaf flag

image by Antonio Martins, 19 June 2016

I've seen it a few times, it appears to invariably be used by supporters of
decriminalization of marijuana in Canada, the leaf in the middle is either red
or natural green (I've seen both versions). It may also be the official party
flag of the Marijuana Party, but that's merely speculation on my part.David Kendall, 10 April 2007

Vintage Leaf Flag

image contributed by Mike Palameeno, 20 September 2007

The maple leaf design comes from a
vintage leaf shape chosen originally by Hockey Canada for use (along with
the regular leaf) on the designs of the uniforms of the men's and women's
National teams since their 2002 double Olympic gold victories. The specific
shape was chosen as the one to represent past use and is associated with
great success and popularity. It has come to be known as the "Vintage Leaf"
and is now seen on flags (and elsewhere) in place of the regular maple leaf
to produce the "Canadian Vintage Leaf Flag", an alternate leaf design to the
regular 11-point one.Mike Palameeno, 4 May 2007

Canadian Mourning Flag Proposal

image by Antonio Martins, 19 June 2016

In 24 hours, a free newspaper in Canada,
there is a picture of a suggested mourning flag.

The flag is the Canadian flag, but with the bar at
the fly end recoloured black.

The caption reads: "Dr. Richard. Hobart of Pembroke, Ont., shows the custom
flag he designed ad a mourning flag for the soldiers killed in action or
training. The flag, which he has flown when Canadian soldiers have been killed,
has generated some controversy."
Dean McGee, 8 April 2009